Building Worker Says: On Friday Vote Socialist And Transfer Left!

Now more than ever, you should vote for socialist candidates and then transfer left. As this election campaign comes to an end, the main issues coming up on the doors have been housing, high rents for accommodation and the crippling costs of childcare for working families.

Also, the plight of carer’s and the lack of empathy shown by Fine Gael has opened many people’s eyes. Carers suffer low pay and a serious lack of respect for the job that they do on behalf of society.

Access to health care and the lack of funding of our public health care service was one topic Simon Harris and Michael Martin hoped would not raise its ugly head. From healthcare to the housing crisis, this government, in power for over 10 years, literally owns every crisis we workers suffer to date.

Nearly a decade of austerity budgets after the 2008 crash yet FF and FG, along with big media, tell us that everything just couldn’t be better. When they talk of recovery, recovery for who? The Irish Times embarrassingly ran a headline that an FG FF government is the preferred option. While this may suit the establishment, bosses and landlords, it is way off the mark as far as the general working population is concerned.

On the issue of capitalism and climate change an article published by author Sally Rooney in the “Essay” section of the Irish Times, blamed profit as the main source of climate change and the obstacle to saving humanity. And yes, climate change was and is the existential threat to all humanity, not just to FF or FG, and this governments record has been an issue on the doorsteps.

It’s been an election campaign where the establishment parties have miss stepped and have lost control of their “best to stick with us” narrative. So now more than ever, it’s time to use your vote to elect socialists to the Dail, representatives who fight the establishment, who will hold the establishment parties to account.

Socialists have a vision of change that goes beyond all the other parties in the Dáil but as a first step to weakening the establishment Sinn Féin and others need to rule out the establishment parties - but they won’t. Workers need a voice with a stronger attitude than that.

For example Councillor Conor Reddy in Dublin City Council in Dublin North West, Hazel Norton in Dublin South Central and Gino Kenny in Dublin Mid West, are just some of the standout candidates that are decent working class choices that represent a breakthrough for people in Dublin to choose from.

There are many candidates fielded by PBP/Solidarity and other radical left groups across the country.

The next government won’t be a Sinn Féin led “left government” but the next government will be held accountable on a greater scale by the left, more so than ever before. Even if Sinn Féin had a record breakthough election they’d still need support from the whole left and another 30 seats on top of that.

Socialists have a special role to play mobilising working class communities and providing a voice.

So it looks like Sinn Féin can’t form a government this time and it is quite possible that some of the center right parties such as Labour, the Greens or the Soc Dems will break ranks and join FF ad FG in government along with support from some fake “independent” TD groups.

Given the history of betrayal of some of these parties, in my opinion, this is one of most likely of many outcomes after polling day, but the genuine left parties can have a larger and more vocal contingent than ever before and certainly more representative nationally.

So the more the electorate votes socialist the greater the accountability of the next government, the greater the message sent to the whole left to stay left and the greater the potential for people power movements on the streets and in our workplaces.

This is why, now, more than ever, workers need to vote for socialist candidates, including People Before Profit, in your constituency. Voting alone won’t change the world but it can help us take another step forward.

One final note, do not under any circumstance select any righwing candidates, including FF and FG, on your ballot sheet. No matter how low you may vote for a candidate, it may still count in the final rounds of counting. They scraped in last time. Don’t help them do that again.

Vote socialist, transfer left, stop.